Now it's time for Disney to execute its theme park plans

Disney only operates on being reactionary instead of being proactive. If Harry Potter never went in Universal, there would be no reason to step up the themed lands and expansion game.

The other problem is they don't do construction 24/7 like Universal. These things take 2-3X longer. Lastly, how many things announced by Disney have just been forgotten? Marvel movies, rides, lands etc..?

I don't think there is anything wrong with being reactionary. After the work is done, assuming it is done well, nobody will care if it was first or second or nineth. Apple has proven that being first matters much less than superior execution.

Construction on the DAK, DHS and MKP expansions are already underway.

Between 2017 and 2022 Disney built/opened Smuggler's Run, Rise of the Resistance, multiple shops and food and beverage outlets at Galaxy's Edge, Guardians of the Galaxy, Remy's Ratatouille Adventure, Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway, Slinky Dog Dash and multiple shops and food and beverage outlets at Toy Story Land.

During that same period of time they also built Space 220, the Riviera Resort, the Coronado Springs Tower, the Skyliner system and a multimillion dollar transportation hub at Disney Hollywood Studios. Also they renovated every room and the first floor public areas of Disney's Contemporary Resort.

I'm sure there are some mistakes on this list. Feel free to beat me up if that's the case.

As for current construction activities at the NBC/U/PIF Orlando parks -- quoting Russell Meyers (07/13/26): "... let's not fool ourselves about what is going on at UO. The permits for Epic were filed months ago, and from most reports, very little is happening right now - just some basic land clearing and grading that had started before Epic officially opened. Yes, the latest permits indicate that progress will accelerate soon, but I haven't seen a single picture of a footer or a building pad. The same goes for IOA, which, yes has seen quite a bit of activity of late, but most of that is simple demo, which is easily executed and appears to demonstrate rapid progress but is typically a minor phase of an overall reconstruction project. Let's not forget that Sinbad closed nearly 8 years ago and Poseidon's Fury closed over 2 years ago, meaning that Lost Continent limped along with just the Mystic Fountain and Mythos for nearly 2 years before Universal made its first move to redevelop the land - compared to Disney, they closed Dinoland just earlier this year and expect to have the Tropical Americas retheme open sometime next year (I'd wager in the later quarter), so in the time it took Universal to figure out what to do with Lost Continent, Disney will have rethemed a new land, which includes a brand new attraction and re-skinned another".

@TH - Based on the D23 announcements, I think I might have given Disney too much credit, because it seemed like the prior announcement to open Tropical Americas in 2027 might have been premature, because they gave no date during that part of the presentation. Coupled with the announcement that Monstropolis would open in 2027 (without the Door Coaster) seems to concede that the DAK project has fallen behind while the bulk of the DHS project is expected to be completed next year, though without an actual ride.

I think the overall lack in specificity in dates during D23 was very telling, and having the same Imagineer walk out to talk about 3 different WDW projects leads me to believe the team is being spread extremely thin right now or trying to put out fires under the weight of immense pressure to deliver this immense amount of additions under tight internal timelines.

The DHS project was always supposed to be phased. It came out as two separate bid packages. It has nothing to do with DAK.

And there's no chatter even hinting that Disney's team is spread too thin.

I'll trust you TH, but it sure seemed strange to see the same Imagineer pop out to detail 3 very different MAJOR (multi-attraction) projects in process at WDW.

The phased opening approach of Monstropolis does makes sense after the presentation given that so much of the prior infrastructure appears to be getting repurposed (Pizza Rizzo turning into another pizza restaurant and the MuppetVision theater being preserved for a Monsters themed theatrical production/movie) with the only truly new aspects of the mini-land being Harryhausens, retail, and the Doors Coaster with the coaster obviously taking more time given the complexity and fact that the building hasn't even been closed in yet. However, I've always believed that there's a give and take between projects, and if something is running behind (and Disney not explicitly stating that Tropical Americas was still on target to open in 2027 concerns me with the timeline of that work), another project can be pushed forward to give WDW as a whole something new to market in 2027 (beyond "small ball", though it could be argued that without the Door Coaster, Monstropolis is technically just "small ball"). Disney has done this before with Galaxy's Edge (opening the land in California without RotR even though everything opened together in Florida before RotR ultimately opened in Disneyland), New Fantasyland, and PtWoA. Projects do not work independently of each other in a vacuum, and the resort has to work together to deliver something marketable to drive visits and revenue. I guarantee there are weekly/bi-weekly check-in meetings between the various project teams to update progress and see where individual projects are in their timeline and the ability/inability to accelerate/decelerate activity to optimize the impact of each of the projects (i.e. most bang for the billions of bucks being invested).

Russel: "I'll trust you TH, but ..."

Me: A piece of advice, folks: Be wary of someone who follows the words "I trust you" with the word "but". Especially if that person is furiously backpedaling on content he posted just a month ago.

How am I "furiously backpedaling"? I play both sides of the aisle TH, and update my impressions/opinions as details change or become more clear. Take those rose colored Mickey-shaped glasses off for a few minutes every once in a while.

Russell: "Take those rose colored Mickey-shaped glasses off for a few minutes every once in a while".

Also Russell (10/14/25) "I don't think TH is a Disney "fanboy", and as they detailed earlier here, has criticized the company plenty while also praising successes of their competitors, most notably Universal".

Here's a question for the audience: Why would Disney even do the multi-phased opening of Monstropolis (assuming they planned ahead)? Why wouldn't they leave Muppet Plaza open for 2026 during the construction of the door coaster, and have the area close in 2027 for a full opening in 2028? It sounds to me like either A.) The coaster was expected to open sooner for a combined 2027 opening, but Disney didn't have enough foresight to see that through or B.) The whole land was expected to open in 2028 but capacity in the park was so low that their only choice was to rush a finish for 2027 for the first half of the land. Either way poor foresight on Disney's part.

Russell wrote: "... having the same Imagineer walk out to talk about 3 different WDW projects leads me to believe the team is being spread extremely thin right now or trying to put out fires under the weight of immense pressure to deliver this immense amount of additions under tight internal timelines."

Or it's entirely possible that not every Imagineer feels comfortable talking to an audience of thousands of people. Maybe Disney chose the Imagineers who clearly enjoy it and are good at it.

I've been visiting this site almost daily for nearly 20 years, and I've always found Robert's reporting enjoyable, entertaining, and fair. This makes it all the more painful that I'm on the verge of dropping this site from my rotation because of all the vitriol that is spewed in the comments on almost every article. I come here to read about the developments throughout the industry, from ALL the companies, and to find nuanced coverage of the details that I might not know about. I'm at a loss to figure out when the theme park fandom became a team sport and we were supposed to pick only one of the two giants to defend or attack relentlessly. Both companies have done amazing things, and both have stumbled. I don't understand why an industry whose entire purpose is entertainment - to bring fun to everyone, needs to be surrounded by so much negativity. Reading the comments from people who at worst come here to troll their own agenda, or at best are arm chair engineers who always see everything so clearly from their living room, is getting too tiring. To suggest removing two more imagineers from the development process for one evening on a Saturday would have put their projects impossibly behind schedule, projects that involve thousands of people, is ridiculous.

I very much enjoyed the live stream of this event. If Universal had a fan club like D23, I'd be in that one too. My ability to enjoy either one is not dependent on the failure of the other.

On a lighter note, how can you write this article without mentioning the yeti or Figment?

@beacher and @tired:
Should we ever cross paths i think I’d buy y’all a drink :)

Tired: "This makes it all the more painful that I'm on the verge of dropping this site from my rotation because of all the vitriol that is spewed in the comments on almost every article".

Me: I think "vitriol" and "spewed" are a bit over-the-top. We certainly spar over various topics, but there's not many instances where people take personal shots at each other. Speaking personally, I will go after people's opinions and unsubstantiated claims but I won't attack anyone. Except for Russell because he's dumb and his mom dresses him funny.

Also I'd buy a round for Beacher and Fatty any day of the week.

Also @ Tired: You may not like when we throw a couple of punches, but as far as the TPI regs go, you'd be hard pressed to find a group of more informed, technically intelligent people as it relates to theme parks.

And NBCreative is here too.

I agree TH, which is why I've made checking this site part part of my morning routine since I first saw that banner hanging over Mythos when I was just out of college in 2007. I have greedily soaked up amazing details from you, Russell, AJ Hummel, Jeff Elliot, and many more. Perhaps vitriol was a bit strong, and you're right that usually most people keep personal attacks to a minimum. However, I think it'd be hard for anyone not to acknowledge that friendly discussions in the comments section has been declining, and it has slowly evolved into someone insisting that their chosen fandom is better than the other, which provokes the other side to respond in kind. Part of the reason I like TPI is that it provides coverage from the entire industry, and parks that I don't know that much about, instead of focusing on just Disney or Universal. But every time there is an article about the big two, the comments are loaded with "look at the bajillion things my side has done compared to the peanuts the other side has done, just look at their earnings report its no wonder they're panicking". I just wish we could get back to being amazed by the awesome things, and providing criticism where it is due to hold the best players in the business to the high standards to which they should be performing.

I think that's pretty much right on and I also think it's something most of the regulars here at least broadly agree with. Obviously we've all got good days and bad days, but I do think the good days around here are worth sticking around for.

@ Tired, we like to say where I'm from, "as hard as I fight WITH you, I'll fight twice as hard FOR you". We may disagree on some points, but we'll ALWAYS have each other's backs - we're just passionate about what we care about.
Plus, I've always felt free to express my honest opinion here without repercussion .... unlike other places that have lawyers with large rodent ears (and that's a story for another day).

Alas, the long arm of Chuck E. Cheese…

Tired: "However I think it would be hard for anyone to acknowledge that friendly discussions in the comments section has been declining".

Me: Just watch me. There's a search box on this site. Type in the name "Baxter". Read a bit. And then come back and tell those of us who have been stalking the site for two decades how we should assess the tenor and tone of its content.

NEXT!